“Rethinking Work: Seismic Changes in the Where, When,
and Why” by Rishad Tobaccowala
2025
HarperCollins Leadership
$29.99
304 pages
It’s hard to believe that five years ago the world halted because of COVID-19. Few could imagine the impacts it would have on industry, commerce, trade, or on work itself. In his new book “Rethinking Work,” Rishad Tobaccowala discusses changes during the pandemic that left us with five interlocking forces “sculpting the future of work.”
First, the gig economy is growing: two years from now, Tobaccowala says, roughly half the U.S. workforce will be freelancers. He calls those workers “fractionalized” employees. Five years ago, most of them enthusiastically embraced working from home—a work style that Millennials and Gen Z particularly appreciated—although disengagement can be a problem for those younger workers today.
Tobaccowala notes business owners must remember that success is not through technology, but through the talent that uses it.
Flexibility will be key for tomorrow’s employees and that might include allowing them the freedom to work side gigs while working for you. And finally, says Tobaccowala, remember that you can feel nostalgic about the way things were five, 10, 20 years ago, but know that there’s really no going back.
Tobaccowala helps readers see past the clutter and politics of modern business to understand that change, if embraced properly, can make employees happier and boost retention. The chapters include numbered lists, and real-life cases and touchstones to draw in even the busiest
of businesspeople.
